Wine grapes, packed with information about where they were grown: Weekly Dish

The week of Sept. 30 was unusual for area restaurants and bars.

The community watched as small businesses closed then reopened following Helene’s arrival. Simultaneously, the food and beverage coterie found various ways to band together for those suffering in the storm’s wake between free cookouts, the return of Brunch for a Cause and a block party.

Through it all, there was hardly time for the normal slate of news.

Instead, for this Weekly Dish, perhaps a weekly chalice? Weekly stoup? We’ll figure it out.

Greenville’s food and wine festival, euphoria, took place the weekend of Sept. 20, offering the usual array of unique events and dinners.

One in particular, called Reign of the Terroir, was held at the Champions Club at Fluor Field as a collaboration between Mission Grape Distributors and The Community Tap. The class was taught by Karen Ulrich of T. Edward Wines and Matt Tebbetts of Mission Grape.

The event featured six wines of three varietals from different terroirs, meant to show how radically different wines can be despite using the same grape.

The first pair featured two chenin blancs, one from its native Loire Valley in France and another from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. By tasting them side-by-side, the consumer is able to see how much the growing environment determines the final bouquet.

Front and center, the Loire Valley chenin blanc. Toward the left, the Limited Addition chenin, then from the center two cabernet francs and far right, two sangioveses.

A chenin blanc is a sort of “blank slate” grape that takes on the flavors of its environment.

The Loire Valley chenin came from Domaine Jousset near chenin’s native Anjou. The soil it’s grown in is rich in clay and limestone, giving way to a zippiness and broad expression of the grape. Its vines are 80 to 100 years old, giving each grape a higher concentration because the older vines produce less fruit but more intense flavor.

The result is a wine with lively acidity, minerality and hints of bright apple notes. The Premier chenin was aged in neutral oak barrels, meaning the barrels don’t impart a flavor.

The Limited Addition chenin comes from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which sees a similar ecological environment. The biggest difference is climate. The area can experience high temperatures toward the afternoon but is cooled by winds through the valley. The wind helps to maintain the acidity and hardens the skin of the grapes, but also keeps the clusters from rotting by reducing the moisture.

At the Eola Springs vineyard, they pick the grapes a little later so it takes on noble rot, making it a botrytized Chenin blanc. That sounds banal but it’s actually been called the nectar of the gods. This grape stays on the vines a little bit longer resulting in a nuttier flavor, a longer finish, acidity with a touch more character and elegant minerality.

Regardless, a chenin by any terroir is a beautiful accompaniment to a seafood or poultry.

In any case, santé!

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